Practicing Driving the Boxster

Just when I was thinking, “I’m supposed to take the Porsche Track Experience (PTE) in the Boxster, but I’ve only been able to drive it about once every two months, so I’m a bit nervous…”

Thankfully, I was able to arrange for someone to watch the kids on a weekday evening, so I had about two hours to practice driving the Boxster.

I thought, “Yes!” but then realized that every time I’d driven the Boxster before, either my husband was riding shotgun or following behind in another car, so this was my first time heading out solo.

Just to be sure, I sent my husband a quick message: “Since someone’s watching the kids, I’m thinking of going out for a little Boxster driving practice.” He immediately replied,

Sounds great! Since you have the chance, why not go somewhere far!

But since two hours isn’t enough for a long trip, I decided to head to nearby Sanda.

The weather was nice that day, and the autumn leaves were just starting to peak, so I thought I’d open the roof and drive. I started the engine, feeling a bit nervous, and set off.

Huh, I’m driving more smoothly than I expected?

The clutch used to feel insanely heavy, but now it feels almost like driving the 320i—pretty normal. Looks like I can handle this on my own.

I drove relying on memory, thinking, “The route to Sanda that I took with my husband was probably this way…” but I took a wrong turn about three times along the way, haha. Still, I backed up without any awkwardness and kept calm throughout.

I’m actually driving pretty well (￣ー￣)

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you probably know I’ve had quite a mental block about driving Porsche manuals. But I realized I’d been overthinking it. If I stay calm and drive like I normally do, I can actually handle it pretty well.

Porsche’s performance is so outstanding that you can just relax and enjoy the drive. Honestly, looking back, I think I’ve come a long way compared to before (laughs).

Practicing the Racing Line

The route to Sanda has some nice winding mountain roads here and there, and luckily there wasn’t much traffic on the way, so I was able to drive at my own pace while recalling the advice my husband gave me recently: “Outside-Inside-Outside”.

Outside, inside, outside… enter wide, aim for the inside, exit wide…

Muttering to myself, I kept taking curves. “I relaxed too much there and drifted wide,” “I wasn’t looking two turns ahead, so I misread the line,” I reflected after each corner…

Am I taking this too seriously? (-_-)

Still, driving with the top down feels absolutely wonderful. Listening to the engine, feeling the autumn leaves close by, and occasionally catching the savory scent of something being grilled in a nearby field.

I paused my racing line practice for a moment to just drive leisurely, soaking in the nature and the daily life of the people around here.

“This is nice… but if this were Germany’s Romantic Road, it would be even more amazing… haha.”

By late November evenings, the temperature here drops to around 10°C, which is quite chilly. So I put on my Uniqlo down jacket and turned on the seat heater—perfect head-cool, feet-warm comfort.

Seat heaters are absolutely essential for convertibles.

After driving for a while, I checked the time and realized an hour had passed, so I turned back at the next road. On the way home, I kept practicing the racing line, and there were several moments where I thought, “Wow! That felt amazing!” which made me really happy.

However, probably due to the time of day, I got stuck behind cars going 30 km/h quite often, so I couldn’t drive as freely as I wanted. Still, driving the Boxster is a joy. Practicing downshifts and easing off the throttle to hear the backfire kept me entertained without any stress.

Finally, I topped off the gas at a station near home, ending the day’s drive.

The Boxster really is an amazing car.

At this rate, I think I’ll be able to participate in the Porsche Track Experience (PTE) with a calm mind. Of course, programs like slalom and full-throttle challenges, which I’ve never experienced in everyday driving, will be nerve-wracking, but I hope I can enjoy the experience without getting too tense.